e moment they are born, are put into the
hands of two or three pedants, one French, another German, and a third
English, and whether they like them or not, they must be content with
their society till they are seventeen, and whether they wish to or
not, must learn three barbarous languages, at the expense of our noble
Russian tongue, which they have sometimes completely forgotten by the
time the others are acquired. Again, if one of them wishes for some
career, he must become a soldier: if he is a sublieutenant, he is the
slave of the lieutenant; if he is a lieutenant, he is the slave of the
captain, and the captain of the major, and so on up to the emperor, who
is nobody's slave, but who one fine day is surprised at the table, while
walking, or in his bed, and is poisoned, stabbed, or strangled. If he
chooses a civil career, it is much the same. He marries a wife, and
does not love her; children come to him he knows not how, whom he has to
provide for; he must struggle incessantly to provide for his family if
he is poor, and if he is rich to prevent himself being robbed by his
steward and cheated by his tenants. Is this life? While we, gentlemen,
we are born, and that is the only pain we cost our mothers--all the rest
is the master's concern. He provides for us, he chooses our calling,
always easy enough to learn if we are not quite idiots. Are we ill? His
doctor attends us gratis; it is a loss to him if we die. Are we well?
We have our four certain meals a day, and a good stove to sleep near at
night. Do we fall in love? There is never any hindrance to our marriage,
if the woman loves us; the master himself asks us to hasten our
marriage, for he wishes us to have as many children as possible. And
when the children are born, he does for them in their turn all he has
done for us. Can you find me many great lords as happy as their slaves?"

"All this is true," said Gregory, pouring him out another glass of
brandy; "but, after all, you are not free."

"Free to do what?" asked Ivan.

"Free to go where you will and when you will."

"I am as free as the air," replied Ivan.

"Nonsense!" said Gregory.

"Free as air, I tell you; for I have good masters, and above all a good
mistress," continued Ivan, with a significant smile, "and I have only to
ask and it is done."

"What! if after having got drunk here to-day, you asked to come back
to-morrow to get drunk again?" said Gregory, who in his challenge to
Ivan did not forg